Which Hundred Is It?

While working in the 1700's I stumbled across some conflicting evidence about the residence of my target person: Ephraim Rutledge.

A search on two popular sites gave me an index entry of Misc Run Hundred for the 1790 Census. Here is the image from one of the sites.

I have not heard of Misc Run Hundred, so I am skeptical. A Hundred was a section of the county, similar to modern townships. The term Hundred comes from England and means the area needed to support one hundred families or to raise one hundred men for a militia.

A look at the actual record shows me images of the actual pages of the census. Here is an image of the part of page 72 showing Ephraim's Entry.

There is no title or header on the page, so I go back a few pages to see if I can find more information.

The title is on page 67. It clearly says "The Enumeration of Mine Run Hundred". At least it's clear to those of us who spend most days buried in old musty documents. I do miss the smell of the documents. Page 67 is only one check, and being the OCD person that I am - or to put it more 'professionally" - realizing the need to conduct reasonably exhaustive research, I go forward to check for any other names.

On the very first page of this section, I found the image below. I can see why the indexer wrote "Misc' instead of "Mine".

I am sure you are wondering: " But did she check the last pages, too?" Of course, I did! The list just ended. There was no paragraph attesting to the ending.

So, Ephraim lived in Mine Run Hundred. Or did he?

I happened upon a 1783 Tax List (MSA S 1437) - typed, so at best a transcript. Ephraim was listed in Mine Run Hundred on Pocock's Lot. Good.

I searched the Maryland State Archives and found the original 1783 lists in a collection: MSA-s1161_scm871-0181. Originals!Yes! Originals - a Genealogist's Dream! I quickly turned to the Mine Run Hundred Census... scrolled down to the "R" entries - Ephraim is not listed! In fact, NO Rutledge is listed. They should be right in the middle of the page. I check every page of Mine Run Hundred (it's that OCD/reasonably exhaustive search gene again). NADA. Not on the valuation pages, not on the Poll tax list.

So, that OCD kicked in again. I started checking the adjoining Hundreds and there he was! Ephraim was listed in the North Hundred, which is directly west of Mine Run Hundred. This list says he is on Pocock's Lot. So does the Mine Run Hundred entry above. Hmmm....

Was Pocock's lot in Mine Run or North Hundred? I have several maps that were put together detailing a lot of the landowners during this time period. So, I pull the maps and look for Pocock's Lot. The maps are not definitive. At least one is not showing the land anywhere near where the others are.

Conclusion? In 1783 and 1790 Ephraim lived on Pocock's Lot. The property may have straddled the line between Mine Run and North Hundreds. Depending on the actual location of the home, I cannot say with certainty which Hundred he lived in. An attempt to locate the home and/or map the property is in order. For now, confirming how long he owned the land and following him, his neighbors, or the future owners forward on succeeding tax lists and censuses will add evidence to the land's location. A check for any boundary changes of the Hundreds is also in order.

It's important to go to originals when you can find them. Always consult the State Archives, University Archives, libraries, Historical Societies, and Museums to see what they hold. It's not always easy to locate records in Archives. Ask the Archivists for help. They always know more than you ever will about their holdings.